Adipocyte Markers

Adipocyte is a fat cell, that has differentiated and become
specialized in the synthesis storage of fat. The adipocyte is
important to the body in maintaining proper energy balance, storing
calories in the form of lipids, mobilizing energy sources in
response to hormonal stimulation, and commanding changes by signal
secretions. Under the microscope, the adipocyte appears bloated with
triglycerides. The nucleus of the cell is displaced to one side by
the fat. The cytoplasm of the cell looks like a thin line
surrounding the pool of fat.

Adiponectin (also known as Acrp30, AdipoQ, and
GBP28)

an adipocytokine exclusively expressed and
secreted by adipose tissue that regulates lipid and glucose
metabolism and plays a key role in body weight regulation and
homeostasis.
PMID: 16282221

a novel adipose tIssue-specific protein that
has structural homology to collagen VIII and X and complement
factor C1q, and that circulates in human plasma at high levels.
PMID: 12611609

Adipoq

adipocyte surface marker, involved
in adipocyte differentiation in mammals and may play similar
roles in chicken.
PMID: 16276104

Adipsin

The mouse adipsin gene encodes a serine
protease with complement factor D activity that is expressed
during adipocyte differentiation and is deficient in several
animal models of obesity.
PMID: 2294115

the adipocyte differentiation-dependent
serine protease gene, is a novel serine protease gene whose
expression is regulated by a macrophage-derived factor which
modulates expression of other adipocyte-specific RNAs.
PMID: 3024123

ALK7

a novel marker specifically expressed during
the late phase of adipocyte differentiation.
PMID: 16953060

ALBP/aP2 (adipocyte
lipid-binding protein)

belongs to a family of intracellular
lipid-binding proteins involved in the transport and storage of
lipids, is an early
adipocyte marker.
PMID: 17077479

has important effects on insulin resistance,
lipid metabolism, and atherosclerosis.
PMID: 12377750

aP2 protein was expressed by lipoblasts in
liposarcomas and lipoblastomas and by brown fat cells in
hibernomas and normal periadrenal fat.
PMID: 10448662

C/EBP alpha/beta (CCAAT-enhancer
binding protein)

members of a family of transcription factors
that are integral to adipogenesis.
PMID: 15632071

Conclusive evidence has already shown that
C/EBP alpha regulates terminal adipocyte differentiation,
turning on the battery of fat-specific genes required for the
synthesis, uptake, and storage of long chain fatty acids. Here
we provide evidence that C/EBP delta and C/EBP beta play early
catalytic roles in the differentiation pathway, relaying the
effects of the hormonal stimulants DEX and MIX in a cascade-like
fashion, leading to the activation of the gene encoding C/EBP
alpha.
PMID: 7531665

C/EBP and other C/EBP-like proteins play a
critical role in regulating the transcription of the
fat-specific gene FSP27.
PMID: 1339452

sequences that bind C/EBP and the Fos-Jun
complex play major roles in the expression of the aP2 gene
during adipocyte differentiation and demonstrate that C/EBP can
directly regulate cellular gene expression.
PMID: 2511432

A-FABP is a small-molecular-mass fatty
acid-binding protein that functions by facilitating the
intracellular diffusion of fatty acids between cellular
compartments as a putative marker of progression.
PMID: 15734831

A-FABP locus is involved in the regulation of
intramuscular fat accretion in Duroc pigs.
PMID: 9880671

H-FABP(Heart fatty acid-binding protein), a
member of FABP family, plays an essential role in long-chain
fatty acid uptake and metabolic homeostasis.
PMID: 16800382

FABP4

a strong positional candidate gene for the
FAT1 locus in porcine chromosome 4, is a adipocyte
surface marker.
PMID: 17032783

expression occurs not only in mature
adipocytes, but has a wider embryonic expression pattern than
previously appreciated.
PMID: 16952017

PPARgamma is possibly a key regulator in the
early stages of chicken preadipocyte differentiation.
PMID: 15922639

PPAR gamma is regarded as a "master
regulator" of adipocyte differentiation and is abundantly
expressed in adipose.
PMID: 15777692

Pref-1 (Preadipocyte factor-1)

found in preadipocytes but is absent in
adipocytes, can serve as an excellentmarker for
preadipocytes.
PMID: 17210639

an inhibitor of adipocyte differentiation and
is synthesized as a plasma membrane protein containing 6
EGF-repeats in the extracellular domain. Pref-1 is highly
expressed in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, but is not detectable in
mature fat cells.
PMID: 11126233

an epidermal growth factor-like repeat
protein present on the surface of preadipocytes that functions
in the maintenance of the preadipose state. pref-1 expression is
completely abolished during 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation.
PMID: 9001251

an EGF-repeat
containing transmembrane protein, is highly expressed in
preadipocytes; this expression is totally abolished after
differentiation to adipocytes.
PMID: 9607168,
PMID: 8680480

a novel adipocyte-derived
cytokine, is involved in the development of insulin resistance
and diabetes mellitus.
PMID: 15874935

also known as Adipocyte Secreted Factor
(ADSF) and Found in Inflammatory Zone 3 (FIZZ3), is a mouse
protein with potential roles in insulin resistance and adipocyte
differentiation. The resistin gene is expressed almost
exclusively in adipocytes.
PMID: 11901161

S-100 protein is expressed from the beginning
of lipidogenesis and possibly acts as a factor regulating lipid
storage and body fat formation. It can be used as a reliable
biochemical marker of human fat cell differentiation and for
distinguishing them from the mesenchymal and the fibroblast
cells in the human embryonal subcutis.
PMID: 11490114